Myth: Government is taking over
Some oppose reform as a government takeover of the entire health care system. They point to the “public option,” which they say would concentrate unprecedented power in the federal government

Fact:

Insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies remain in place, and can remain for-profit companies.

The public option, patterned after Medicare, is only one of many plans, and offers choice to the consumer and competition in the health care industry.

You can keep your current plan if you want to do so.

All the proposed health care reform measures are intended to “promote the general welfare,” as stipulated by the Constitution of the United States.

Myth: President Obama’s health care reform is socialized medicine.

Fact:

Socialized medicine means the system is owned and operated by the government: government pays for health care, employs the providers, and runs the health care facilities. That is not part of the Obama Administration’s reform program. (Actually, the Veterans Administration, established in 1930, is socialized medicine.)